Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for arranging and transferring ammunition, which is constructed to rapidly and evenly arrange cartridges, which are supplied in a disordered state and then to supply the cartridges side by side to a subsequent processing unit, using the tendency whereby a steel bullet fitted in a cartridge adheres to a magnet.
Description of the Related Art
Most ammunition is manufactured in a such a way as to charge propellant into a cartridge case, to fit a bullet into the cartridge case and to finally press the connected portion therebetween in a sealing manner. Cartridges manufactured in this way are commonly contained in a cart in a disordered state.
In order to execute quality inspection of individual cartridges, to manufacture a cartridge belt from cartridges, or to individually prepare packages containing cartridges numbering in the teens or several tens thereof, there is a need to load the cartridges onto a cart in an orderly arranged state in order to regularly and consecutively supply the cartridge.
As a critical process for supplying cartridges, which are disorderly loaded onto a cart, in an orderly manner, two arranging and transferring mechanisms, which are configured to first arrange cartridges in a consistent orientation such that the bullets in the cartridges are oriented in one direction and the tails of the cartridges are oriented in the opposite direction, to dispose the cartridges one by one in an orderly state and to transfer the orderly arranged cartridges arranged in an orderly manner, have been used since early times.
First referring to Patent Document 2, which discloses an arranging and transferring mechanism, which has been used since very early times, cartridges loaded into a hopper in a disorderly manner are normally or reversely rotated depending on the center of gravity while being moved along a spiral track and are placed one by one on a waiting circular shuttle. The circular shuttle, which is configured to have a radial shape, transfer the cartridges placed thereon to the opposite side, and loads the cartridges on a cartridge-supplying belt in an orderly manner.
The apparatus using the circular shuttle, which is shaped into a radial shape, is advantageous in that cartridges can be oriented in one direction regardless of the kind or material of the cartridges, as long as the bullet side of the cartridge is heavier than the tail side.
Meanwhile, if the cartridges to be handled are relatively long and thick, the shuttle needs to be enlarged in proportion to the size of the cartridges, and the radius of circular movement of the shuttle also needs to be increased. Hence, it is somewhat unsatisfactory to apply the mechanism to cartridges having a large diameter, that is, to long or heavy cartridges.
Patent Document 1, which discloses the technical base and the basic idea of the present invention, will now be described.
This technology is derived from the fact that most cartridges having a large diameter are armor-piercing cartridges, which are capable of penetrating armors and have bullets that are partially or entirely made of steel heads.
Specifically, a conveyor including magnets mounted on the transfer track thereof is disposed almost vertically, and cartridges adhered to the magnets are arranged in an orderly manner while being lifted in the state in which the bullets of the cartridges are directed upward. Thereafter, the cartridges, which have passed over the top of the conveyor, are supplied to a loading magazine by allowing the cartridges to fall one by one down a slide.
In other words, when a finished cartridge, in which a bullet is fitted in a cartridge case, is lifted by applying magnetic force to the steel head of the bullet, which tends to adhere to a magnet, the cartridge case, which is made of relatively heavy copper alloy and is thus not attracted to the magnet, naturally hangs down. Consequently, the cartridges can be oriented in one direction, and can be transferred in the oriented state through a conveyor.
By repeatedly disposing permanent magnets on the transfer track of a conveyer in an oblique fashion and lifting cartridges adhered to the permanent magnets, as in Patent Document 1, the cartridges can sequentially arrive at the top of the conveyor. Thereafter, the cartridges are separated from the permanent magnets in the order in which they arrive at the top, and fall down a slide having an outlet having a reduced width.
The cartridges, which have sequentially fallen down, are transferred side by side to a desired location through a loading magazine having a zigzag path without being arranged in a disordered manner.